International Orangutan Day - Borneo Orangutan Survival New Zealand

Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) New Zealand celebrates International Orangutan Day 19th  August 2024 with a unique auction to raise vital funds to save orangutans from extinction.  

The New Zealand branch of the world's largest orangutan conservation program call on public support  this International Orangutan Day to end orangutan survival fears before it's too late. 

The Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation, the largest and arguably most  successful orangutan conservation program in the world, continues its bid to garner global support  during what they say is a critical and urgent time to fight the extinction of orangutans, with a unique  auction on today's International Orangutan Day. 

Its partner BOS New Zealand, open bidding today for a unique pair of underpants with historic value.  In 2008, during the filming of "Orangutan Island," the famous documentary series about orphaned  orangutans at BOS Foundation's Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Borneo, an  orangutan named Hamlet, who was one of the stars of the series, stole the underpants from a team  member. 

Hamlet retrieved the notable clothing item by using a stick to grab it from the clothesline. Then, he  encouraged other orangutans to wear them on their heads and even used them to polish the film  crew's boots. The one-of-a-kind remnants being auctioned today are framed with film crew photos  and a link to the scene video. This fundraising effort is one of many through which BOS aims to  encourage the public to become part of the solution by donating to the financial constraints  associated with rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing orangutans, particularly during key global dates  such as today's International Orangutan Day. 

International Orangutan Day coincides with the long-anticipated return of Orangutan Jungle School  Season 3. Orangutan Jungle School premiered in the United States on Peacock on August 12, 2024 at  3 PM EST. New episodes aired daily at 3 PM ET on the Love Nature Channel, and were available on  demand for Peacock subscribers. The season will also premiere on SKY TV in the UK on August 23,  2024, and globally on Love Nature on August 17, 2024. Season 3 will also be available for purchase on  Prime Video and Apple TV. 

Where to watch:  

Orangutan Jungle School; 

https://orangutanjungleschool.com/where-to-watch/ 

Love Nature – Fetch  

https://lovenature.com/channel-finder/

With only around 57,000 wild Bornean orangutans estimated to be left in the wild, they face many  threats, with habitat loss through deforestation and forest fires, illegal hunting and illegal wildlife  trade being the main threats to their well-being, survival, and population. All orangutan species are  critically endangered, facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. 

BOS's "rehab and release" program teaches orphaned and separated orangutans to survive in the wild  during the world's first 'orangutan school'. The program has forged a major breakthrough in the fight  to save the critically endangered orangutans of Borneo, with more than 500 "graduates" rehabilitated  and released successfully back into the forest where they will be safe from human interaction,  poaching and farming. 

Young orangutans in the wild typically stay with their mother until they are around seven or eight  years old, learning the life skills necessary to be self-sufficient; however, the Foundation usually  rescues traumatised or abused animals that have been separated from their mothers at a very early  stage. During 'school', each orangutan typically spends four to six years with a team of experts  working tirelessly to teach new skills, including climbing, nest-building, sourcing food and identifying  threats. The forest school has orangutans in various stages of 'education', with many already eligible  for release. 

"There's something so profound about what the BOS Foundation is achieving for orangutans who are  facing imminent extinction in Borneo. Human intervention, where the orphans are rescued and then  over many years taught the skills they need to survive in the forest, has changed the rules forever for  

these little apes," says Judith Curran, producer of "Orangutan Island" and its famous and awarded  successor "Orangutan Jungle School". Judith is also a trustee of BOS New Zealand. "The way they are  adjusting and learning from each other at an unprecedented rate is just extraordinary. The BOS  Foundation's story is symbolic of our planet's environmental catastrophe but also proves there is  hope, with hundreds of human-raised orangutans having already been returned successfully to the  wilderness they belong in. This outcome is inspirational for species conservation across the planet." 

The journey for each orangutan back into the wild comes with a hefty up to $10,000 price tag,  including airlifting each primate to the release site in an effort to minimise the trauma of their  relocation. However, without the support of the public and direct and immediate action, orangutans  face extinction if the trend in deforestation for logging, mining, palm oil plantations, settlements and  cash crops continues. 

"We rely exclusively on donations to continue to protect injured, abused or tortured orangutans by  providing medical treatment, attentive care and meticulous training to prepare them for a life of  freedom, and we are calling on the public to provide support while there is still time to make a  difference", says BOS New Zealand President Kerin Welford. "Orangutans are our closest relatives,  sharing 97% of our DNA. The name orangutan derives from the Malay and Indonesian phrase 'orang utan', meaning 'person of the forest'. These large, gentle red apes are highly intelligent, with the ability to  reason and think", Welford describes our red cousins. 

Orangutan lovers can support BOS via monetary donations, adoption, purchasing merchandise and  participating in volunteer programs. All funds will go towards rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing  Bornean orangutans and saving their rainforest habitat. 

For more information, visit  

in New Zealand: www.orangutans.co.nz 

in Australia: www.orangutans.com.au 

To participate in the underpants auction, visit: www.bit.ly/Hamlets-Underpants-Auction

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